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Top BBC Figures Acknowledge ‘Errors’ in Reporting Scandals
Top BBC Figures Acknowledge ‘Errors’ in Reporting Scandals
(about 7 hours later)
LONDON — Two of the most senior figures at the British Broadcasting Corporation said on Tuesday that there had been “basic” and “elementary” failures of the organization’s journalism when it wrongly implicated a former Conservative Party politician in sexual abuse, compounding a scandal that cost the BBC’s director general his job and plunged the organization deeper into crisis.
LONDON — Two of the most senior figures at the British Broadcasting Corporation said Tuesday that there had been “elementary” failures of the organization’s journalism and “appalling editorial judgment” when it wrongly implicated a former Conservative Party politician in sexual abuse, compounding a scandal that cost the BBC’s director general his job and plunged the organization deeper into crisis.
But, addressing a parliamentary panel, one of them, Chris Patten, the head of the supervisory BBC Trust, offered an unusually insistent defense of the former director, George Entwistle, whom he had hired, and who had been labeled hapless and bumbling by many politicians and newspaper columnists before and after his resignation on Nov. 10.
But, addressing a parliamentary committee hearing, one of them, Chris Patten, the chairman of the supervisory BBC Trust, offered a sympathetic defense of the former director general, George Entwistle, whom he had hired, and who had been labeled hapless and bumbling by many politicians and newspaper columnists before and after his resignation on Nov. 10.
“The easiest thing to do is to join in the general trashing of a decent man and I’m not going to do that,” Mr. Mr. Patten told lawmakers, describing Mr. Entwistle as “a decent man” who “doesn’t deserve to be bullied or have his character demolished.”
“The easiest thing to do is to join in the general trashing of a decent man, and I’m not going to do that,” Mr. Patten told lawmakers. He described Mr. Entwistle as “a decent man” who “doesn’t deserve to be bullied or have his character demolished.”
But Mr. Patten, Britain’s last governor of Hong Kong in the 1990s and a public figure of long standing, balked at questioning by one lawmaker, the Conservative Philip Davies, who pressed him to provide an itinerary of his work schedule at the BBC. “Certainly not,” he said. “I think it’s a thoroughly impertinent question.”
Mr. Patten said the trust wanted to bring a quick end to Mr. Entwistle’s embattled tenure and so accepted his demand for nearly $800,000, representing a year’s salary and other benefits, after he had spent less than eight weeks in the job.
“What is the role of it? Do you want to know my toilet habits?”
Mr. Patten and Tim Davie, the acting BBC director general, were addressing a parliamentary panel known for often aggressive interrogations in scandals at Britain’s newspapers and broadcasters. They were speaking just days before an another inquiry into the separate phone hacking scandal, mainly at Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper outpost, is to deliver a long-awaited report that could lead to tighter regulation of the rambunctious British press.
The combination of inquiries and findings seemed to illustrate once more the intense scrutiny faced by journalists and editors in Britain at a time when the news business is struggling to make a painful and costly adjustment to the digital era. The newspaper scandal, in particular, has drawn in British politicians, including Prime Minister David Cameron, who have testified about what seems to have been a cozy relationship with Murdoch executives.
But Mr. Davie said that, while the BBC, a British national institution, was going through a “major crisis,” it was not in chaos. “This is not an organization that is falling apart internally,” he said.
Mr. Patten has played a central and frequently contentious role in seeking to find a way out of the BBC’s current crisis. Mr. Davie, a former head of BBC radio operations, has been the interim head of the BBC since Mr. Entwistle resigned after only 54 days in office. Sitting side by side to face lawmakers, the two men were appearing before the panel for the first time since Mr. Entwistle’s departure.
Mr. One issue before the parliamentary select committee on culture, media and sport was a decision by Mr. Patten to authorize resignation benefits to Mr. Entwistle including a payoff equivalent to a full year’s salary of $750,000, twice the contractual obligation.
Mr. Patten said on Tuesday that, in negotiations with Mr. Entwistle, “we either had to deal with it quickly there and then, broadly speaking on the terms of 12 months” salary as a payoff, or go through other procedures for compensation base0d on constructive and unfair dismissal, which would have cost the corporation a further $128,000.
“What did we get in return?” Mr. Patten said. “First of all, we got a settlement that was less than we would have got had we gone through constructive dismissal.” And second, he said, if any of the current inquiries finds that Mr. Entwistle “has done anything which is in breach of his contract or the BBC disciplinary guidelines, we can claw back some of the remunerations that has been paid.”
“What did we get in return?” Mr. Patten said. “First of all, we got a settlement that was less than we would have got had we gone through constructive dismissal.” And second, he said, if any of the current inquiries finds that Mr. Entwistle “has done anything which is in breach of his contract or the BBC disciplinary guidelines, we can claw back some of the remunerations that has been paid.”
Mr. Entwistle appeared before the panel on Oct. 23 when its attention was focused on a decision a year ago by the editor of the “Newsnight” current affairs program to cancel an investigation into the sexual misconduct of Jimmy Savile, a longtime television host who died in Oct. 2011 at age 84. The BBC was also preparing Christmastime programs paying tribute to Mr. Savile.
Mr. Patten and another witness, Tim Davie, the acting BBC director general, were speaking just days before an another inquiry into the separate phone hacking scandal, mainly at Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper outpost, is to deliver a long-awaited report that could lead to tighter regulation of the press.
At that time, Mr. Entwistle was in charge of television programming, while the director general was Mark Thompson, who resigned in September to become the president and chief executive of The New York Times Company. Mr. Thompson appeared on Friday before a separate closed-door inquiry in London into the cancellation of the “Newsnight” segment last year.
The combination of inquiries and findings seemed to illustrate once more the intense scrutiny faced by journalists and editors in Britain at a time when the news business is struggling to make a painful and costly adjustment to the digital era. But Mr. Davie said that while the BBC was going through a “major crisis,” it was not in chaos. “This is not an organization that is falling apart internally,” he said, adding, “I’ve been overwhelmed by journalists at the BBC who are aghast at the errors that were made.”
Since the panel’s session with Mr. Entwistle on Oct. 23, the scandal has widened after a “Newsnight” broadcast on Nov. 2 wrongfully implicated a former Conservative Party politician in sexual abuse at a children’s home in North Wales during the Thatcher era.
Mr. Patten, too, described the failings that led to the scandal as ones that the BBC would quickly put right. “The BBC tells the truth about itself, even when the truth is appalling,” he said. He contrasted the broadcaster’s readiness to clean its stables with what he said had been an opaque and truculent reaction among Britain’s newspapers when confronted by their own scandals.
Events in that imbroglio forced Mr. Entwistle to resign. He appeared with Mr. Patten at his side to announce his decision. “I think he found the whole thing an appalling experience, appalling,” Mr. Patten said, but added: “I think his departure was in his interest and the BBC’s I’m afraid.”Mr. Patten said the second “Newsnight” program showed “appalling editorial judgment. The journalism was — to be polite — shoddy.”
But Mr. Patten’s composure faltered under aggressive questioning by one lawmaker, the Conservative Philip Davies, who pressed him to provide an itinerary of his work schedule at the BBC. “Certainly not,” he said. “I think it’s a thoroughly impertinent question.
He added: “This was a terribly elementary journalistic failure.”
“What is the role of it? Do you want to know my toilet habits?”
Mr. Davie said many journalists at the BBC were “aghast at the basic error that was made.”
Mr. Entwistle appeared before the panel on Oct. 23 when its attention was focused on a decision a year ago by the editor of the current affairs program “Newsnight” to cancel an investigation into the sexual misconduct of Jimmy Savile, a longtime television host who died in last year at age 84. The BBC was also preparing Christmastime programs paying tribute to Mr. Savile.
A BBC inquiry into the second “Newsnight” episode found that journalists failed to give a right of reply to the person they implicated and did not ask his accuser to positively identify him. The report implicated but did not directly identify Alistair McAlpine, the former treasurer of the Conservative Party.
At that time, Mr. Entwistle was in charge of television programming, while the director general was Mark Thompson, who resigned in September to become the president and chief executive of The New York Times Company. Mr. Thompson appeared Friday before a separate closed-door inquiry in London into the cancellation of the “Newsnight” segment last year.
Mr. McAlpine has since reached out-of-court libel settlements with the BBC for about $295,000 and with its main commercial rival, ITV, for about $200,000. Last week, the BBC announced that Tony Hall, the head of the Royal Opera House, would take over as the BBC’s director general next year.
Since the panel’s session with Mr. Entwistle, the scandal has widened after a “Newsnight” broadcast on Nov. 2 wrongfully implicated a former Conservative Party politician in sexual abuse at a children’s home in North Wales during the Thatcher era.
Between now and then the British print and broadcast industries face a thicket of inquiries. The BBC has started two internal investigations. One is into the cancellation of the “Newsnight” segment, led by Nick Pollard, a former head of the rival Sky News, and the other is into the culture and practices of the BBC over decades.
Mr. Patten said the second “Newsnight” program showed “appalling editorial judgment.”
The parliamentary panel is also likely to call further witnesses while, on Thursday, much attention in Britain will be focused on the publication of the report by Mr. Justice Sir Brian Leveson, who has conducted lengthy inquiries into the phone hacking scandal, with witnesses including Mr. Murdoch and his son James testifying publicly and under oath.
“The journalism was — to be polite — shoddy,” he said, adding, “This was a terribly elementary journalistic failure.”
Apart from those inquiries, Scotland Yard is conducting three police investigations into phone hacking, computer hacking and the corruption of public officials. Scores of journalists, lawyers, executives and others have been arrested and questioned.
Mr. Davies’s irascible exchanges with the BBC chairman were set off when the lawmaker widened his questioning to include Mr. Thompson’s role in the Savile scandal.
John
F. Burns reported from London and Alan Cowell from Paris.
Mr. Patten said he would have nothing to say about Mr. Thompson’s role until the completion of an inquiry into the BBC’s handling of the pedophile allegations against Mr. Savile.
John F. Burns reported from London, and Alan Cowell from Paris.
